Concrete forms used for foundation and other wall construction are normally comprised of multiple concrete form panels that are releasably secured together, side-by-side and/or end-to-end using various types of fasteners that extend through aligned holes in the siderails or endrails of adjacent concrete form panels. The fasteners have also been used to secure various other types of forming hardware to the concrete form panels. Examples of such other forming hardware include form ties and various types of brackets and attachments for scaffold supports, wall braces, lanyards, pins and the like.
Many different types of fasteners have been used for these purposes, such as bolts and nuts, hinged latches, and pins and wedges. More recently, fasteners have been used that are in the form of engagement pin mechanisms in which the bolts or pins extend or slide along an attachment base that is permanently-fixed to a face of the concrete form panel adjacent the siderail or endrail.
These types of engagement pin mechanisms generally include a base or bracket that is permanently attached, such as by welding, to the concrete form and an engagement pin that is directly or indirectly coupled with the base or bracket and may be manually extended through the aligned apertures in the siderails or endrails of adjacent concrete form panels to maintain the adjacent concrete form panels in alignment. In some embodiments, a wedge is driven through the slot to prevent retraction of the engagement pins. In other embodiments, a latch carried by the engagement pin is engaged to hold the siderails or endrails together to prevent separation of the adjacent concrete form panels. Examples of the latching-type engagement pin mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,058,855 and 5,174,909.
While the use of these engagement pin mechanisms has greatly facilitated the joining and subsequent separation of adjacent concrete form panels, welding a dozen or more individual bases or mounting brackets to each panel is time-consuming and increases the fabrication cost of the concrete form panel. This conventional approach of permanently securing the base or bracket at a fixed location on the concrete form panel is also problematic when the form has multiple closely-spaced apertures in the siderails and endrails that are designed to allow the fastener to be positioned through whichever aperture provides the optimal load distribution for the specific forming application. If fixed fasteners are to be used with these closely-spaced apertures, the apertures must be spaced apart a sufficient distance to provide the necessary clearance for placement and operation of the fasteners. The fabrication costs of the panel are also increased by the use of additional fixed fasteners, or their mounting brackets, that are dedicated to each of the closely-spaced apertures. In addition, because the fixed fasteners must be placed closely adjacent the siderails or endrails, the various types of form hardware that are mounted on the fixed fasteners must also be position at those same locations even though placement at another location on the concrete form panel may be necessary or more desirable. A need has thus developed for improved concrete forming panels and an improved system and method of mounting fasteners and other form hardware to the concrete forming panels.